Start with the object
Open with an observable feature: scale, material, wear, inscription or repair. Give listeners enough spatial language to locate it without relying on sight alone.
Mark interpretation
Signal uncertainty with phrases such as “the record attributes,” “researchers propose,” or “the evidence does not establish.” Do not turn a plausible story into biography.
Cite the trail
Attach the accession record, named author or curator, publication date, licence and links to supporting research. The transcript should carry the same references as the audio.
Four-part script pattern
- Orient: name the object, date range, material and collection record.
- Observe: describe one visible or tactile feature precisely.
- Interpret: explain what that feature may indicate and identify the supporting method.
- Qualify: state alternatives, missing context and one question for further inquiry.
Accessibility and production checks
- Publish an accurate transcript and captions; identify speakers and meaningful sounds.
- Avoid instructions that depend only on colour, position or gesture.
- Let listeners pause, replay and change speed when an actual player is supplied.
- Test names and specialist terms with a pronunciation guide and explain them in plain language.
Source and rights checks
Confirm that the institution record supports each historical statement, that quoted voices are cleared for reuse, and that music or ambient sound has a compatible licence.
- W3C guidance for audio and video accessibility
- Europeana rights statements and reuse guidance
- ArtifactView object-reading pathway
Editorially reviewed 10 October 2026. No audio, transcript bundle or embed code is provided on this page.
Curator's evidence fileroot / WRITING-EVIDENCE-AWARE-AUDIO-GUIDES
Writing Evidence-Aware Audio Guides
A script-planning framework for clear, accessible object interpretation. ArtifactView does not currently stream audio, build playlists, trigger clips by location, provide embeds, or offer transcript downloads.
| Observe | Describe material, form, marks, wear or spatial relation without assigning identity or purpose. Begin with “Start with the object.” |
|---|---|
| Context | Locate the record in excavation, collection, restoration and display history. Check the chain against W3C guidance for audio and video accessibility and Europeana rights statements and reuse guidance. |
| Infer | Digital reconstruction should mark what is directly recorded, what is restored from comparison and what is an interpretive choice. Tie every attribution to the feature that supports it and retain competing readings. |
| Withhold | Do not extend “Mark interpretation” beyond the date, sample, comparison or provenance actually documented. |
Provenance checkpoint
List each custody or documentation gap separately; an unknown interval is evidence about the record, not permission to invent continuity.
Catalogue note
Open with an observable feature: scale, material, wear, inscription or repair. Give listeners enough spatial language to locate it without relying on sight alone. Mark later repairs, labels and digital reconstructions as later interventions rather than original features.
Research-room promptWhat single comparison object, technical test or archive entry would most change the interpretation of Writing Evidence-Aware Audio Guides?